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Feature article

Communities of practice are an excellent way for staff and faculty to share knowledge

Communities of practice: how to help them thrive

There are few better ways for staff to build and share knowledge within institutions, but while communities of practice can evolve organically, they also need nurturing

Melanie Brown

The University of Adelaide

Changing academic disciplines is not as impossible as it might sometimes appear

Embracing your impostor syndrome: advice for shifting between disciplines

Changing disciplines can appear impossible at times, but it’s not, especially if academics embrace the mindset that disciplinary boundaries are often somewhat artificial

Amber Phillips

University of the West of England Bristol

Picture of a woman teaching English

A STEAM adventure: running a hybrid English immersion camp

Lessons in designing a hybrid English immersion camp that boosts language proficiency while developing key life skills

Rossana Mántaras , Eugenia Balseiro, Lorena Calzoni

Technological University of Uruguay (UTEC)

Female student frustrated with online learning

Online learning is still challenging for students – they need our support

Isolation and distraction are among the downsides of remote learning, even after two years of “panic-gogy”, which makes intentional online design and student support as important as ever

Jason M. Lodge, Paula de Barba, Jaclyn Broadbent

The University of Queensland , University of Melbourne, Deakin University

Image representing the building of a career

Five strategies to generate a sense of satisfaction in your academic work

Academia is challenging so developing coping mechanisms and boosting satisfaction in your work can be instrumental in building a successful career. Houry Melkonian shares five approaches she has found useful

Houry Melkonian

The University of Exeter

Support for Ukrainian academics and students

Supporting Ukrainian scholars: what’s next for #ScienceForUkraine?

Academics and students from Ukraine at home and in exile need help. Here are ways to support the Ukrainian academic community

Arran Reader , Anna K. Bobak

University of Stirling

Podcast as pedagogy

Podcast as pedagogy: discovering the joys of a new teaching format

After a first foray into podcasting as a mode of instruction, Alan Bradshaw shares some of the tips he picked up along the way for those considering taking the mic

Alan Bradshaw

Royal Holloway, University of London

Image of builders laying foundations

Threshold concepts: what they are and how they help students learn

Threshold concepts are themes that underpin an academic discipline and can provide a framework for students to build knowledge. But teachers must be mindful of students’ capacity to understand them, as Becky Lewis explains

Becky Lewis

The University of East Anglia

Image of people using a guidance manual

Please follow the following: user guidance tasks as assessments

Challenging students to create user guidance manuals relevant to their subject, explaining how something should be used or carried out, is an effective way to assess their applied knowledge, Russ Woodward and Nicola Pattinson explain

Russell Woodward, Nicola Pattinson

University Centre, Grimsby: The TEC Partnership

Young Indian woman opens a carton of books

How much should you publish?

For reputation or promotion? Book or peer-reviewed journal? Publishing is a high-stakes issue for academics. Catherine Léglu looks at scholars’ motivations to publish, where and how often

Catherine Léglu

University of Luxembourg

Image showing unequal support being offered on the pathway to success

How to address bias in the classroom and in assessment in five steps

Biases can affect personal interactions, course design, learning activities, assessment and institutional practices, thus it is vital that educators work to remove bias from their teaching. Donna Hurford and Andrew Read share helpful approaches

Donna Hurford, Andrew Read

University of Southern Denmark

Black female student takes notes

Is it possible to decolonise the business curriculum?

Untangling business studies from the discipline’s imperial origins might seem an insurmountable task, but it’s up to university leaders to take the lead on this complex challenge, reflects Bobby Banerjee

Bobby Banerjee

City, University of London

Image depicting institutional branches scattered around the globe

What determines the success of an international branch campus?

What do successful international branch campuses have in common? Nigel Healey outlines the key characteristics that institutions wishing to extend their presence overseas should take heed of

Nigel Healey

University of Limerick

Engineering students

Engineering schools are riddled with issues – reinvention is required

From increasing diversity to embracing flexibility, engineering schools must enter a period of self-reflection if they are to remain viable

David Poole

Liaison International

Metronome

Rhythm of a class: lesson-planning and assessment in block teaching

Block scheduling rethinks curriculum design, lesson-planning, assessment and feedback. Tom Clark outlines how this shift, as well as blended learning resources, helped Victoria University meet students’ need for clear and reliable rhythms of study

Tom Clark

Victoria University

Academic conferences need a hybrid future if inclusion is truly on organisers' agendas

Rejecting hybrid conferences as the new norm reeks of ableism

Failure to offer a virtual component for conferences makes organisers complicit in a system that excludes particular academics, says William E. Donald

William E. Donald

Ronin Institute

Young female scientist examining a sample through a microscrope

Curriculum design in biosciences: setting up first-year students for success

Transferable skills and employability are more important than ever, and students arrive at university with a widening diversity of backgrounds. So, how should we prioritise what to teach in the first year of a biosciences degree?

Audrey Heppleston

The University of East Anglia

Videos and podcasts can be useful tools for assessment

21st-century assessment: improve and update the way you evaluate

Mariana del Sol González offers initial tips and guidance on how to update assessment methods in your classroom

Mariana del Sol González

Monterrey Institute of Technology

Picture of a student watching a tutorial online

Why online learning must remain part of the education toolkit

Critics of online learning often blame the medium itself rather than ineffective instruction, when the focus should be on how to deliver the best teaching possible using all available tools and formats, writes Andreina Parisi-Amon

Andreina Parisi-Amon

Engageli

Group of international students’ showing their national flags

In support of international students’ journey through higher education

International students embark on a challenging personal and educational journey when they enrol overseas. Fiona S. Baker outlines support inside and outside the classroom that can help them succeed

Fiona S. Baker

Durham University

AI concept

What’s next for AI in higher education?

From assessment to ethics and job security, a new Jisc report highlights AI’s challenges and successes and provides insight into upcoming developments

Michael Webb

Jisc

Image of a young black woman scientist

Address STEM inequality by reconceiving merit

The cultural yardsticks used to measure merit in STEM are warped with bias and often devalue women, people of colour and LGBTQ+ scientists with records equal to white heterosexual male peers. To fix STEM inequality, academia must reconceive merit

Mary Blair-Loy , Erin A. Cech

University of California San Diego , University of Michigan

podcasting equipment

Podcast starter kit: what you need to get recording and posting now

Podcasting is like chess – easy to begin and hard to master. Here are the basics about equipment, software and hosting sites to get you off to the best possible start

John Weldon

Victoria University

Image showing collaboration between doctoral students and supervisors

Co-creation: how to find the ‘super’ in supervision

Co-creation can bring together research supervisors and doctoral students to unpick the tensions and challenges in the supervisory relationship and seek solutions, researchers from the University of Warwick explain

Elena Riva, Louise Gracia, Rebecca Limb

The University of Warwick

Freedom of thought

Inclusion of thought v inclusion of feelings: a showdown

In the pursuit of inclusivity, should we adjust what we teach to include students’ sensitivities or expose them to the full range of serious ideas? asks Arif Ahmed

Arif Ahmed

University of Cambridge

Woman holds magnifying glass over paper

Don’t be cruel: how to write a fair peer review report

Not every comment in a peer review report will be positive, but it is possible to highlight weaknesses and errors in a journal article while being constructive. After all, behind every manuscript are authors who have ploughed time and effort into the submission

Sin Wang Chong, Shannon Mason

The University of Edinburgh, Nagasaki University

An agile person

A step-by-step guide to implementing an agile curriculum

Flexible, innovative and creative, agile curricula offer many advantages over traditional approaches – here’s how to get started, says Olufunke Aluko-Daniels

Olufunke Aluko-Daniels

University of Huddersfield

Image representing creative inspiration

Creative projects as a way of bringing students together

An institution-wide creative project is an opportunity for students to make friends and learn from one another, writes Karen Amanda Harris. Here, she shares tips for developing an extracurricular language-art project

Karen Amanda Harris

University of the Arts London

There are many simple, free tools in a lecturer's arsenal for making lectures more inclusive

Tips for new lecturers on the human elements that make students feel included

Forget constructive alignment and instructional scaffolding, things like saying ‘hello’ and being encouraging are the real key to good, inclusive lectures, says Andy Grayson

Andy Grayson

Nottingham Trent University

Image of a Wikipedia screen

Student-led knowledge exchange using Wikipedia

Challenging students to draft or enhance Wikipedia entries is an effective way to develop their subject knowledge, research and writing skills, as Adrian Man-Ho Lam explains

Adrian Man-Ho Lam

The University of Hong Kong

alarm clock on blocks

Block to the future: why block scheduling has taken so long to catch on

Block teaching has been around since the mid-noughties, but those short-lived early trials were ahead of the curve. Simon Thomson and Carl Flattery explore why block planning might finally be having its day

Carl Flattery, Simon Thomson

Leeds Beckett University, The University of Manchester

Universities need bigger and better data on the promotions process

The promotion process needs bigger, better data if we’re to make it fairer

Enough of the tiny sample sizes at institutional level – if we want to identify the issues that hold back careers, we need sector-wide figures and cooperation

Patrick Bailey

London South Bank University

Image showing people engaging through social media communications

Why universities in emerging countries should invest in social media marketing

Why should higher education institutions in emerging countries invest in social media rather than flashy marketing campaigns to develop brand credibility and brand equity? Charitha Harshani Perera, Rajkishore Nayak, and Long Thang Van Nguyen explain

Charitha Harshani Perera, Rajkishore Nayak, Long Thang Van Nguyen

Northumbria University, RMIT University Vietnam

Illustration of student career development and Lego

How block teaching supports students from under-represented groups

Shorter, more immersive units are helping raise attainment and success for students with complex and diverse needs

Thomas Roche, Liz Goode, Erica Wilson

Southern Cross University

illustration of written and online resumes

ECRs can still evidence leadership and management skills on their CVs

Even when you’ve ‘just’ been a postdoc, the key is correctly labelling your skills and experience so potential employers understand what you bring to the table

Emma Williams

EJW Solutions

Image showing an anti-war poster

It is time to bring back peace studies

Recent world events point towards the need for a commitment to peace at every level of society, writes Annelise Riles, as she explains how universities can promote peace-making and related skills through teaching, research and collaboration

Annelise Riles

Northwestern University

Image depicting a story emerging from the pages of a book

The transformative potential of narrative writing explained

Narrative writing is one way academics can meaningfully communicate their work to the public but it can be hard to master. Steven Beschloss shares a guide to improve narrative writing skills

Steven Beschloss

Arizona State University

Academics and lecturers should not conflate interesting with entertaining

Beware the pitfalls of making lectures ‘interesting’ and focus on curiosity instead

Conflating ‘interesting’ with ‘entertaining’ and getting caught in a never-ending loop of shinier and shinier edutainment should be shunned in favour of cultivating sustained interest

Lee Li Neng

National University of Singapore

Gamification brings great benefit to online university classes but has negatives too

Next level? The pros and cons of game-based learning

Using gamification in the classroom can work wonders for engagement, but does it come at too great a cost to deep thinking, asks Frederik van Dam

Frederik van Dam

Radboud University

Image representing digital tools

Lessons in running workshops to train students in basic electronics

Workshops that train pre-university students in open-source electronics and programming platform Arduino can broaden access to and knowledge of readily available technology. Here‘s a guide for how to design them

Jorge N. Gutiérrez

Technological University of Uruguay (UTEC)

Robot art holding a green shoot

Go green, AI!

Can artificial intelligence be as green as it is integral to solving complex problems? As universities integrate courses on AI into different fields, they also need to show students its risks and costs, particularly for the environment

Inès Chihi, Inma Peral

University of Luxembourg

Many academics are far more comfortable using new tech than previously thought

It may be time to rethink the ‘edtech adoption curve’

A new survey of higher ed faculty reveals more early adopters of edtech than previously thought, says Nicole Barbaro

Nicole Barbaro

WGU Labs

Image showing successful teamwork

What ‘norms’ support successful learning design collaborations?

How to promote consistency of processes and expectations among university course designers and external edtech providers, explained by Rae Mancilla and Nadine Hamman in the third part of a series looking at strategies for successful learning design partnerships

Rae Mancilla , Nadine Hamman

University of Pittsburgh, University of Cape Town

Image depicting the need for the public to understand evidence and fact

How to improve the public understanding of evidence

The ability to critically analyse information and differentiate fact from fiction is a skill needed far beyond higher education. So how can academics trained in evaluating evidence engage the wider public in this important process?

Rebecca Dewey

University of Nottingham, Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN)

Happy online university student

Awaken your students’ interest in your online course

Are you struggling to motivate students in your online class? Angeles Carolina Aguirre-Acosta provides strategies to generate greater motivation and participation

Angeles Carolina Aguirre-Acosta

Monterrey Institute of Technology

How universities should tackle EDI and anti-racism work

How to support EDI work at departmental and institutional level

Yaz Osho explains how universities can translate a stated commitment to EDI and anti-racist work into practical, operational delivery

Yaz Osho

University of Westminster

Image representing critical analysis of research

Great citations: how to avoid referencing questionable evidence

Researchers don’t always stick to careful citation practices and occasionally cite evidence that has been questioned or even retracted. Find practical tips on how to avoid citing faulty evidence and maintain good citation hygiene

Dmitry Malkov

Elsevier

Anxious students can be helped in the university classroom by using tech and empathy

Using tech (and a little empathy) to help anxious students

Amber Phillips shares some high- and low-tech tips for supporting anxious students and improving inclusivity in the post-pandemic physical classroom

Amber Phillips

University of the West of England Bristol

Image depicting barriers to digital access

How to improve digital accessibility at your institution

Actions institutions can take to improve the digital accessibility of their websites and online materials and comply with relevant legislation, by Baba Sheba

Baba Sheba

St George’s, University of London

Fire-eater

The rise and rise of the lecture-tainer

Falling class attendance and shorter student attention spans present challenges for university teachers. Sandi Mann offers advice for tackling the boredom conundrum

Sandi Mann

University of Central Lancashire